This 1945 aerial photograph captures Johnston Island, a small coral atoll roughly 800 miles southwest of Hawaii that the U.S. Navy transformed into a critical air and sea way station during World War II. Engineers dredged and filled the reef to more than double the island's original size, enabling construction of the long runway visible here. Johnston Island served as a refueling and staging point for aircraft and ships moving across the vast central Pacific in support of the broader war effort. Project: 218699